Research is often carried out in partnership with other organisations.

2
Teams

Technical Research Team

Area of focus: Providing an evidence base for our building conservation guidance.

Research covers the repair, maintenance and retrofitting of historic structures, includingtraditional materials and techniques. We carefully plan research to address specific areas of need or lack of understanding, or in response to other pressures.

Examples include research into:

thermal performance of historic buildings

retrofittinghistoric buildings to improve energy efficiency

adapting to the impacts of the changing climate such as increased winter precipitation

Conservation Science Team

Area of focus:Scientific research into materials and processes in the historic environment.

MOSSS

As our seas get warmer the distribution of marine species is changing. It’s important that we assess the potential impactof such changes on the marine historic environment.

One possible threat to wooden shipwreck sites is the shipworm, an aggressive species of wood-boring mollusc.

Shipworms are known for rapid, high-level degradation of wooden objects. Their destructive potential is often underestimated –wood may appear intact but be riddled with tunnels inside.

MOSSS stands for Monitoring Of Scottish Sites For The Presence Of Marine Wood Boring Shipworms. We’re funding this Bournemouth University project to learn more about the presence of wood-boring shipworms on shipwreck sites in Scottish territorial waters.

Four wooden shipwreck sites have been identified and sacrificial wood samples are now in place.